Translation of high-temperature, highspeed strips of material



Aug. 8, 1967 J. J. BOYD 3,334,839

TRANSLATION OF HIGH-TEMPERATURE, HIGH SPEED STRIPS OF MATERIAL Filed May 9, 1966 I N V EN TOR. /gseph. J Boyd EammQ 2 Q 7 m EQ QSG United States Patent 3,334,889 TRANSLATION OF HIGH-TEMPERATURE, HIGH- SPEED STRIPS OF MATERIAL Joseph J. Boyd, Fairburn, Ga., assignor to Atlantic Steel Company, Atlanta, Ga., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 9, 1966, Ser. No. 548,448 5 Claims. (Cl. 271-3) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In the manufacture of strip steel as for example, that used in cotton bale tying, the strips are normally conveyed from the milling thereof through a shearing operation at extremely high speeds, as for example 2500 feet per secand, while red hot, and they are gradually cooled and stacked before tying together in bundles with cotton tie buckles. They are thus sheared to form individual strips of pre-selected length and these sheared cotton tie steel strips are then accelerated slightly to form a gap between adjacent ends of cotton tie strips. Following this they are decelerated and threaded into channels, as a rule. The respective ties being red hot and moving at a high rate of speed are diflicult to handle and must be decelerated, flattened and cooled for stacking and subsequent packaging. The present invention is adapted to effect a satisfactory handling of this red hot strip of steel, to facilitate its deceleration, cooling and flattening. In the so-called threading phase of the handling of sheared cotton ties, the respective ties herein being red hot and moving at a high rate of speed meet a fixed bed on which there is a thin film of water, whereupon with the creation of steam and i by the application of the Bernoulli principle, a pressure flattening of the ties is effected, as well as deceleration and cooling. In effect, the essentially flat metallic surface of the strip material is floated at high speed upon a steam cushion, the result of which is to control any undulations of the strip and to prepare it for further separation and stacking.

The present invention is concerned with a method for threading fast-moving, high-temperature strips of material and is related to my co-pending patent application Ser. No. 548,449, filed May 9, 1966 and entitled Strip Conveyance.

It is very difficult to handle such strips, and particularly to manipulate them so that they can efficiently be translated between various positions. The speed and temperature of the metal strips, as well as the tendency for the strips to buckle, have precluded effective translation of said strips, for example, from the shearing position where the strips are cut to the final position where they are stacked.

It is the purpose of this invention to provide an intermediate stage for threading the metal strips such that the longitudinal movements of the strips or ties are confined to the desired position with respect to the next stage in the process. This is accomplished by utilizing the proper-ties exhibited by liquids in the spheroidal state, and more particularly by translating the fast-moving, high-temperature strips across a thin sheet of liquid.

It is therefore an object of invention to provide a process for handling fast-moving, high-temperature strips efficiently so that they may be translated from one position to another.

It is another object of invention to prevent buckling of said strips which would handicap effective translation thereof.

It is another object of invention to utilize the spheroidal state properties of liquids to effectively translate said strips from one position to another, as well as to vary the relative plane of movement of said strips.

These and other objects of invention will be apparent from the following specification and drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus and steps involved in my invention, illustrating the translation of the strips to and from the thin sheet of liquid.

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the thin sheet of liquid, illustrating the conditions created therein by the strip, and stabilization thereof.

As illustrated in FIGURE 1, strip 4 moves from an accelerating conveyor table 2 driven by shaft 8 into threading funnel section 6 on conveyor belts. The purpose of the accelerating conveyor is to force gaps between the respective ties-which have previously been sheared (not shown). The accelerating conveyance step is usually coactive with the shearing step and involves slidably sup porting and driving the strip or ties by the greater surface speed of the conveyor exceeding the surface speed of the ties. Should no gap be developed between respective ties, it would be difiicult to prevent the ends of the ties from overlapping as they are accelerated transversely into the channel bed.

Following accelerated conveyance to form the gap, a threading of the red-hot strip is effected. This is illustrated in FIGURE 1, wherein the front end of the rapidly moving tie 4 enters one channel 16 of a transversely-moving channel bed 14 comprising a plurality of U-shaped channels placed side by side on chains, and arranged so that the length of the channels are in the direction of tie motion. At this point, the tie, travelling in an axial direction, is forced sideways by the edge 18 of the moving channel hitting side 5 of the tie, and is given a transverse velocity.

For high-speed, light-weight strips, cut to short lengths, special care must be exercised in threading, for if the tie is allowed to ripple, flex, or vibrate, or if it becomes airborne, it will pile up and jam the machinery. The sudden transverse acceleration is prevented from deforming the tie by first passing the tie over an immovable plate 10 having a film of liquid 12, preferably water, thereover. This reduces the friction between the tie and plate.

The phenomena of the spheroidal state is utilized to create the relative friction-free movement of the tie. All volatile liquids can assume this spheroidal condition; the lowest temperature at which it can be produced varies with each liquid and is more elevated the higher the boiling point of .the liquid. The temperature of a liquid in the spheroidal state is always below its boiling point.

In the spheroidal state, liquid globules are produced by the red-hot tie and liquid fluid, which rests upon a sort of cushion of its own vapor 13 produced by the heat radiated from the hot surface against it. As fast as this vapor escapes from the globule, its place is supplied by a fresh quantity formed in the same way, so that the globule is constantly supported by it, and does not come in actual contact with the heated surface.

The tie 4 thus travels along the vapor interface 13 created between it and the surface of the liquid. The fastmoving tie, in close contact with plate 10, creates a low pressure area or radial vacuum between the tie and plate, and atmospheric pressure forces the tie and plate towards each other. This stabilizes the tie and prevents rippling, flexing or vibration thereof, as illustrated in FIGURE 2. The water film also helps to seal the edges, supplies lubrication, and cools the plate. Edge 9 of plate 10 is flat and there is no ridge to hold the water. Instead the water is flooded on and just sticks to the plate. The back edge 11 is raised as illustrated. The plate is wider than the channels to allow the strip to move sideways as it threads into the bed.

The combined effects of the red-hot material striking the thin film of liquid and causing the creation of a vapor interface between the opposite liquid and tie surfaces, and the relative speed between the tie and plate causing a sucking-down of the tie, result in an almost frictionless, flattening influence upon the tie. Thus, threading and transverse acceleration and simultaneously accomplished in a very eflicient and effective manner.

After leaving channel bed 14, the ties are translated to the next processing step 20, the ultimate step being the stacking operation. Motors M 1-3 are synchronized to operate correctly.This invention, however, is not limited to translation of the ties between specific steps or apparatus. Instead, it concerns the use of a thin film of liquid to provide a relatively frictionless and rigid movement for fastmoving, high-temperature ties thereacross.

Having thus described my invention, I claim the following:

1. A method for translating high-speed, high-temperature, fiat, semi-rigid flexible strips, comprising:

(A) translating the strips at high speeds across a flat reservoir having a thin liquid film surface;

(B) heating thereby the liquid film surface to the spheroidal state, producing thereby a vapor interface between the strip and liquid film surface; and simultaneously (C) creating a low pressure gap between the strip and liquid film surface, causing said strip to travel across the vapor interface avoiding contact with said liquid film, the low pressure gap created thereby forcing the strip to substantial flat rigidity and to deceleration.

2. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

(D) sequentially threading the deceleration strips into successive channels of a moving channel bed.

3. An apparatus for translating high-speed, high-temperature strips, which comprises:

(A) an acceleration conveyor to convey said strips, said conveyor being driven at a faster speed than the initial of said strips to produce a gap between suc cessive strips;

(B) a plate, said plate having a film of liquid thereon, said strips being fed across said plate, whereby the liquid is heated to the spheroidal state, and a low pressure area is produced between the strips and said liquid film;

(C) a channel bed comprising a series of channels, aligned in the same direction as the initial direction of said strips, said channel bed having drive means to drive said channel bed in a direction transverse to said plate, said plate being operatively located with respect to said channel bed to thread successive strips into successive channels of said channel bed, whereby the low pressure area and vapor interface substantially threads said strips in a frictionless and rigid manner from said plate to said channel bed.

4. The apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein said strips are metal strips.

5. The apparatus as described in claim 3 wherein said liquid is water.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,901,246 8/1959 Wagner 27l--3 EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

RICHARD E. AEGERTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A METHOD FOR TRANSLATING HIGH-SPEED, HIGH-TEMPERATURE FLAT, SEMI-RIGID FLEXIBLE STRIPS, COMPRISING: (A) TRANSLATING THE STRIPS AT HIGH SPEEDS ACROSS A FLAT RESERVOIR HAVING A THIN LIQUID FILM SURFACE; (B) HEATING THEREBY THE LIQUID FILM SURFACE TO THE SPHEROIDAL STATE, PRODUCING THEREBY A VAPOR INTERFACE BETWEEN THE STRIP AND LIQUID FILM SURFACE; AND SIMULTANEOUSLY (C) CREATING A LOW PRESSURE GAP BETWEEN THE STRIP AND LIQUID FILM SURFACE, CAUSING SAID STRIP TO TRAVEL ACROSS 